Fifty one years ago I took a political science course in college. The professor stated that 85-95 percent of the voters were really ignorant. I could not believe that at that time, but now I wonder. He stated to win elections the candidate had to take a half-truth, stretch them a mile, and then repeat them enough times and the voters would believe what they were hearing and he would be elected. Sad. Real sad.

Today I wonder, do not only the politicians do this but sometimes it appears the media has chosen sides and no longer just reports the news. Many times they create what they call news, which may or not be true from undocumented leaks or sources, and then add their commentaries of slanted half-truths — stretched a mile — and then repeat them enough times so people will believe what they want them to believe. Real sad.

As I write this, we had a person who shot five people in Washington, D.C., because he was made to believe politicians needed to be killed.

Bill Kreuter

McKenzie

Only so many ways to say the same thing

Though most accomplished writers understand the different methods and techniques of writing, many today seem to have forgotten that there are only so many ways to say the same thing. Regardless if the cause is a lack of available news or too many reporters, repeating national news is the root cause of newshounds, as described in a recent opinion letter, frustration with the lack of local reporting. This lack of local reporting should have been anticipated when national news agencies started purchasing local papers. If one examines our local newspaper they should notice even local reporters have titled themselves as USA Today Network-Tennessee. Actually, regardless if the new titles were created because of dictates from upper management or because local writers wanted to feel part of something larger than The Jackson Sun, the titles alienate local readers. This coupled with the actual decrease in local news reporting should help explain the frustration of local newshounds.

Of course, there is another plausible explanation for the lack of local news reporting. As a newspaper’s circulation diminishes, generally due to fewer papers being purchased, the need for reporters diminishes and the money needed to cover expenses also diminishes. Unlike government agencies, newspapers are privately owned businesses and depend upon sales and advertisement dollars to survive. The advertisement sales depend upon circulation. The fact is, the Sun’s circulation has decreased, dramatically.

I have traveled around West Tennessee for 25 years and watched as town after town stopped having the paper available. The question is, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Did circulation diminish because of a lack of readership or did readership diminish because of a lack of circulation? The growth of the Internet could explain part of declining readership. However, when I talked with many individuals around West Tennessee about the paper, they stated they stopped reading it because it was too liberal. The paper’s concentration on national news could explain the people’s perception of its liberalism, as most perceive the majority of reporters who report on national news as liberal. With the exception of the population of intercity Memphis, the majority of people in West Tennessee are conservative. Local reporters for The Jackson Sun should recall this and remember, there are only so many ways to say the same thing.